Uncoupling device for railway-car couplers



G. G. GILPIN UNGOUPLING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY CAR COUPLERS Oct; 16, 1928. 1,688,141

Filed Nov. 12, 1926 @wh @655m Patented Oct. r16, 1928.

narran i STATES l 1,688,141 PATENT i omer.

eaarn e, erririmor nivnnsrnnitmnos, Assreivoafro Union METAL PRODUCTS Cor/refinar, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A Conronarioiv or DELAWARE.'

vUNCIOTJ`IEL1l\T(3r DEVICE. FOR RAILWAY-CAR COUPLERS.`

Appncation inea'novemher 12, 1926 semi No. 147,986.

'.llhedevce relates to what is known in the Y art as a push-down orvertical plane type of mounted upon thecar.

unc-oupling device for railway cars and comprises a one or two-pieceVoperatmg lever attached to lthe coupler in the usual .manner and pivotally connected to a suspension link which is pivotally connecte-d Ito a fulcrum Suclran arrangeinent'provides a flexible co1istructionand, furthermore, allows the coupler lock pin to raise in a vertical line when lifted by kthe uncoupling device.

In the drawings f Fig. 1 shows an application of the der vice to a railway car. Y

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged elevation o f the fulerum and associated parts of the device.

Fig'. 3y is a section on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Figi". 4; isa detail of the fulc'rum.

Figi'. 5 is adetail of the suspension link. l

Fie'. 6 is a detail of theV connector. Fiig. 7 is a-section on line 7-,-7 of Fig. 6 with the levers also shown.' v Y Figs 8 and 9 are diagrams showingpmovements of the several parts. l 'i The usual parts of the car kare shown7 wherein 1 is the end of the car; 2 the strikingr casting; 3. the. coupler; 4 the coupler loclc lifter with itseye 5.

My device comprises a fulcrum 6 secured to the car in any Convenient manner, which preferably has a journal portion Iand a suspension link S is mounted upon the ful-V crum, or its journal. so' as to permit it to swing' in a vertical planeonly, thus st abilizn ing; the device.v The suspension link 8 is provided with a lug; 9 which engages aV portion 10 of the fulcrum so as to restrict the movement of thev suspension linkin avvertical pla-ne in either direction. A lever is pivotally connected to the suspension lml and operatively connected to the coupler vwith yits opposite ends adjacent the side of the car @so that downward movement 'of the outer end of the lever raises the lock lifter of the coupler; A limited movement yis desirable to protect kthe operator or tosupport the coupler should its carrier'fail.

TWhen the lever comprises a single unit itis connected to the lock lifter 4t of the coupler by a reduced portion 1Q which penetrates the eye 5 of the lock lifter in the usual manner and the middle portion is pivotally connected lspension. lnl; by ak horizontal pm e it or in, other eonvement the lever to ,move or swing sufliciently ina horizontal plane to accommodate the fore and aftV movements of thefcoupler in service.

l When the lever is made oftwo pieces the inner portion or pin lifting lever yis connectedavith theloclrlifter tof the coupler bya reduced portion 12 which penetrates the locklifter eye as described above and the outer portion or operating lever `extends to adj acent-the side of the car,Y as described above. The inner ends of the operatingand pin lifting` levers, respectively, are caused to act togetherin a vertical plane bythe connector 13.; This connectorhas an aperture 414 surrounding the pin lifting lever` l5 so as yto prevent `relative movement therebetween in a vertical plane though permitting relative movement therebetween ina hori- Zontal plane, which` Ylatter movement is necessary to accommodate the fore and aft movement of the coupler in service. The connector 18 is also provided with` another aperture 16 which surrounds the inner end of the operating lever 17 so as to prevent relative movement thereinbetween in either a horizontal or vertical plane. The connector is pivotally attached to the suspension .link 8, preferably by a pivot 18 passing through the fulcrum 6, connector 13 and both levers 15-17- The pin thereby performs they further function of preventing the levers from coming out of the connector.

In the preferred form the fulcrum 6 has a cylindricalportion 7 forming a journal, which portion is smaller than the adjacent part of the fulcrum so as to provide a Vhas been moved downwardly to raise its inner end and shows how the suspension Y Ylink 8 has swung toward the coupler and the levers have pivoted inthe connector 18 to permit the inner end of the lever to vraise in a vertical line 30 instead of an arcuate line, as it would` if the lever were pivotally fulcrumed on the car.

The accompanyinff drawings illustrate, the preferred form of tale invention, though it is to he understood that the inventionlis not limited to the eXact details of construction shoiviiand described, as it is obvious `that various `Vmodifications thereof WithinA` the scope of the claimswill occur toy ypersons skilled in the art.

I claim: Y

1.111 an uncoupling device'for a car coupler, a fulcrum, a pin lifting lever, an

4operating I lever, a connector operatively connecting said levers, and a suspensionflink pivotally,y connected` vto said fulcruinand pivotally connected to sa-idrconnector.

Q. In an nncoupling device for a car coupler, a' ulcruin having `a journal, a pin lifting lever,l an operating lever, a Vconnector operatively connecting lsaid levers; anda suspension link mounted upon said journal pivotallyconnectedypto said ulcrum and` f1, In an` uncoupling 'device forv a car coupler, a fulcruin, a pin lifting lever, an operating lever, a connector operatively connecting said levers having an` aperture surrounding saidpiii'lifting lever so as to prevent ,relative-moveinent therebetween in a vertical plane i though permitting relative inoveineiitin a yhorizontal plane, said connector provided with another aperture sur rounding r'said operating lever so as to pi'event relative movement therebetween in a horizontaler vertical plane, and a suspension vlink=.pivotally coniiectedfto said iulcruin landy pivotally connected to said con- 5'. In an] uncoupling rdevice for a car coupler, aqfulcrum, a pin'lizt'ting lever, ya member` engaging said pin"4 lifting levery so as to prevent relative movementfthereba tvveen ina y.vert-ical planey though permitting relative movement in a horizontal plane, and

a suspension link pivotally connected to said ulcruin and pivotally connected to said,

member, and means orrockingthe member andr thus operating the pin lifting lever.

i 6. In "an uncoupling device for La car coupler, a ulcriun havinga journal, apin lifting leven-'an operating lever, a connector operatively connecting saidl levers, a suspeiision link mounted upon said journal, and a pivot pin passing through' saidv fulcrum, connector and levers.,y c

A f GARTH Gr; GILPIN. y 

